Archived Information

A Synopsis of the 2004 Early Reading First Project Grantees

CFDA# 84.359B

Student Achievement and School Accountability ProgramsOffice of Elementary and Secondary Education

U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of EducationEarly Reading First

400 Maryland Avenue, SWRoom 3W240

Washington, DC 20202-6132(202) 260-2195

August 2004

Summary of the 2004 Early Reading First Program

The ultimate goal of the Early Reading First Program, authorized by No Child Left Behind, Title I, Part B, Subpart 2, is to improve the school readiness of our nation’s young children, especially those from low-income families, by providing support for early childhood education programs serving preschool-age children so they may become centers of educational excellence. This goal supports Good Start, Grow Smart, the President’s Early Childhood Initiative to improve early childhood education and strengthen early learning for young children.

The Early Reading First Program brings a unique and bold approach to improving preschool programs for our nation’s at-risk children, including children with disabilities and limited English proficiency. Early Reading First provides funding and support to turn preschool programs into centers of excellence by improving instruction and classroom environments through scientific research-based practices in language, cognition and early reading.

Many of America’s children face daunting challenges as they enter kindergarten lacking the necessary skills to learn how to read. Early Reading First offers an exciting opportunity to meet this challenge by helping to ensure that children are provided with a high-quality preschool education.

Eligible applicants for Early Reading First include local educational agencies (LEAs) and public and private organizations that meet the following criteria:

1. One or more local educational agencies (LEAs) that are eligible to receive a subgrant under the Reading First program (Title I, Part B, Subpart 1, The Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended (ESEA)).

2. One or more public or private organizations or agencies (including faith based organizations) located in a community served by an eligible LEA. Unless the public or private organization is a preschool program applying on its own behalf, it must apply on behalf of one or more programs that serve preschool-age children (such as a Head Start program, a child care program, a family literacy program such as Even Start, or a lab school at a university).

3. One or more of the eligible LEAs, applying in collaboration with one or more of the eligible organizations or agencies.

Specifically, Early Reading First grants will provide funds to

Support local efforts to enhance the early language, cognitive, and early reading development of preschool-age children, particularly those from low-income families, through strategies and professional development that are based on scientifically based reading research;

Provide preschool-age children with cognitive learning opportunities in high-quality language and print-rich environments so that they can attain the fundamental

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knowledge and skills necessary for optimal reading development in kindergarten and beyond;

Use language and literacy activities based on scientifically based reading research to support the age-appropriate development of oral language, phonological awareness, print awareness and alphabet knowledge;

Use screening assessments or other appropriate measures to identify preschool-age children who may be at risk for reading failure, and to determine whether those children are developing the language, cognitive, and early reading skills they need for later reading success; and

Integrate instructional materials and programs based on scientifically based reading research into existing preschool programs.

Through multi-year awards to eligible LEAs with at-risk children, and public and private organizations located in communities served by those eligible LEAs, the Early Reading First Program is intended to ensure that preschool-age children have the instruction, experiences, and environment that they need to ensure that they enter kindergarten prepared for continued learning. These grants complement the Reading First State Grants Program, which provides support for high-quality, scientifically based classroom-focused reading instruction for kindergarten through grade three.

For FY 2004, Congress appropriated $94,439,500 for the Early Reading First program. Five hundred ninety-four (594) eligible pre-applications were received and reviewed by panels made up of expert reviewers in accordance with Department of Education regulations. Of these, 128 were invited back to submit full applications. The Department received 124 full applications which were again reviewed by experts. The Department is making 32 three-year awards. The following are abstracts for each project, containing a synopsis of what each project proposes to achieve with the Early Reading First grant funds, as well as details about project costs and contact information.

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ALABAMA

Grantee: Gulf Regional Childcare Management Agency, Inc.Project Name: Path to Excellence ProjectProject Director: Catherine Kreger (251) 626-8926, ckreger@grcma.orgFunding: $2,019,104 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 12 teachers and 4 staff per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 96 per year

The Path to Excellence Program (Path) will serve 96 students each year, 99% of whom qualify for free or reduced price lunch. The project will serve students at Whitley Elementary School, Alba Elementary School, Palmer Village Head Start, Clinton L. Johnson Child Development Center, and Kids’ Quarters Learning & Development Center. The goals of Path are to:

Create high-quality, literacy-rich classroom environments.

Increase preschool staff knowledge about language and literacy instruction and assessment through ongoing professional development and in-classroom coaching.

Increase the amount of systematic and explicit instruction provided to children that will develop oral language, phonological awareness, and alphabet knowledge to ensure success in kindergarten and beyond.

Use ongoing screening and monitoring assessments to determine children’s level of knowledge in language and literacy, to identify children at risk, and to inform curriculum.

Services, instructional materials, and activities, including explicit and contextualized instruction, will be facilitated by the adoption of Open Court Reading Pre-K Program literacy curriculum. As two sites currently use High/Scope Approach to Learning and three use the Creative Curriculum, Open Court will be integrated into each site accordingly. Path will provide intensive, ongoing professional development, mentoring and coaching, and supervised planning sessions for all teachers and paraprofessionals to assist them with implementing Open Court Reading. Teachers and paraprofessionals will also participate in HeadsUp! Reading, a professional development program which is offered nationwide through distance learning technology. Screening reading assessments, including the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening-PreK (PALS-Pre-K)¸ the Kaufman Survey of Early Academics Learning Kills (K-SEALS), and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III will be used to ensure that instruction is scaffolded for each child. Additional measures will include the Early Language Learning and Classroom Observation Toolkit (ELLCO). Dr. Lea McGee, and Dr. Judith Schickedanz will consult with the project. Dr. James VanHaneghan will direct the evaluation.

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ALABAMA

Grantee: The University of AlabamaProject Name: Project CORE: Building a Community of Reading Excellence in Jefferson

County, MississippiProject Director: Lea McGee (205) 348-1196, lmcgee@bamaed.ua.eduFunding: $1,944,373 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 10 teachers and staff per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 96-172 per year

Project CORE: Building a Community of Reading Excellence in Jefferson County, Mississippi is a partnership among The University of Alabama, Jefferson County, Mississippi Public Schools, Kiddy Karrousel Child Development Center, and the AJFC Community Action Head Start. Project CORE will serve 96 three- and four-year-old children during year one and 172 children each in years two and three. During year one, Project CORE will integrate research based instructional materials and activities into two Head Start classrooms, two classrooms in a private childcare, and one pre-kindergarten classroom in a public school. The project will extend the number of weeks some children are served from 36 to 44 through a Summer Literacy Camp (other children are served 52 weeks). The goals of Project CORE are:

Accelerate children’s language and literacy development, especially in the areas of oral language, phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, and print awareness.

Implement and integrate with the current preschool curriculum a content-enriched language and literacy curriculum that provides comprehensive instruction and enhances children’s vocabulary, background knowledge, and thinking skills.

Increase the amount of time in daily planned language and literacy instruction to 60-75 minutes including explicit instruction provided in one small group language and literacy lesson for 15-20 minutes daily for each child.

Substantially improve the language-, literature-, and print-richness of the classroom environments.

Dramatically increase teachers’ and assistants’ effectiveness in delivering explicit language instruction in oral language, comprehension, vocabulary, phonemic awareness, alphabet recognition, and concepts about print.

Use screening and progress monitoring of age-appropriate language and literacy skills.

Project CORE will implement The Wright Group’s Doors to Discovery for three-year-old children and Scholastic’s Building Language for Literacy for four-year-old children. Project CORE will provide participants with 88 hours of professional development based on scientific research in language and literacy development and in adult learning. The project will use Get it! Got it! Go! and the Early Literacy Knowledge Assessments (ELKA) to screen and monitor children’s language and literacy development.

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ARIZONA

Grantee: Arizona State UniversityProject Name: Tempe Early Reading First PartnershipProject Director: Shelley Gray (480) 965-6796, Shelley.Gray@asu.edu Funding: $2,491,777 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 20 teachers and staff per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 160 per year

Tempe Early Reading First Partnership will support five Early Childhood Education Centers of Excellence. The centers comprise public school, private and Head Start classrooms. Arizona State University acts as the fiscal agent and coordinates training, assessment and project evaluation. The goals of Tempe Early Reading First Partnership are:

Every child will show growth in oral language including listening comprehension, expressive language, and understanding and use of vocabulary.

Every child will demonstrate growth in phonological awareness, print awareness and alphabet knowledge.

Every child will show growth in background knowledge and thinking skills that support listening comprehension, expressive language, and understanding and use of vocabulary.

Services, instructional materials, and activities, including explicit and contextualized instruction, will be facilitated with the use of the Harcourt Trophies Pre-K curriculum. Professional development will consist of five key activities essential to high-quality professional development: instructional classes to give staff the knowledge and skills to teach children; scientifically based reading research content that meets Arizona Early Childhood Standards, coordinated with Early Reading First and Reading First Goals; intensive in-classroom mentoring to insure that teachers know how to provide explicit and intentional instruction that starts with teacher-directed activities and moves to more independent activities; guided teacher practice in the classroom to insure that training has a positive and lasting impact on classroom instruction and teaching team performance, and self and peer assessment to train teachers how to evaluate and improve their own classroom performance. Screening reading assessments including the PALS-PreK, will be implemented along with The Preschool Word and Print Awareness Task, Trophies Pre-K Progress monitoring assessments, Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), the Woodcock-Johnson III Test of Achievement and the Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOPP). The Tempe Early Reading First Program includes an evaluation plan that will be carried out by Dr. Laura Justice of the University of Virginia.

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CALIFORNIA

Grantee: Children of the RainbowProject Name: Early Reading First: Creating Centers of Excellence for Young LearnersProject Director: Gale R. Walker (619) 615-0652, galerwalker@childrenoftherainbow.com Funding: $2,200,807 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 12 teachers and 11 staff per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 230 per year

Early Reading First: Creating Centers of Excellence for Young Children will be implemented in 10 classrooms across two preschool centers and will prepare 230 children ages 3 to 5, living in a low income, ethnically diverse urban community with the language, cognitive and early reading skills needed to be ready to begin to learn to read. The goals of Early Reading First: Creating Centers of Excellence for Young Learners are:

Provide an environment designed to develop oral language, phonological awareness, and alphabet knowledge by improving the quality of the learning centers in the preschool classrooms.

Provide a print-rich environment designed to develop oral language and print awareness by establishing writing and computer centers in preschool classrooms and incorporating increased display of children’s print. Integrate books, other print, and writing materials in all interest areas of the classroom. Purchase a wide variety of quality books and writing instruments for each classroom.

Provide all teaching staff with comprehensive professional development that increases teachers’ knowledge and skills in the area of early literacy. Teachers will develop learning plans and work with coaches to assess impact and increase competencies.

Help children acquire and develop language, cognitive and early reading skills by integrating research-based materials and activities.

Implement assessments to measure student outcomes and inform instruction.

Create a partnership with parents that respects and builds upon their strengths and increases their capacity to support their children’s learning.

Implement program evaluation that will guide ongoing quality improvement, measure child outcomes, assess efficacy of professional development, and provide unique, research-based benefit to the field of early childhood education.

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CALIFORNIA

Grantee: Imperial County Office of EducationProject Name: Imperial Valley Ready to ReadProject Director: Antonia Zupancich (760) 312-6429, azupan@icoe.k12.ca.usFunding: $2,597,431 for a 3-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 23 teachers per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 3Number of Students Served: 130 per year

Imperial Valley Ready to Read is a partnership of three school districts and other agencies to serve five preschool centers. The Imperial County Office of Education (ICOE) operates three preschools and one Even Start program. The preschools currently serve children full day. Imperial Valley Ready to Read will use grant funds to extend the day for children in the Even Start program. The fifth center is a home-based childcare center operated by United Families, Inc. 99 percent of all children participating in the program are eligible for free and reduced priced lunches and are English language learners. The goals of Imperial Valley Ready to Read are:

All children will enter kindergarten ready to learn and will sustain the achievement for grade level standards in school, ultimately to graduate from high school with the choice to attend an institute of higher education.

Teachers will provide high-quality instruction grounded in scientifically based reading research, closely monitor each child’s progress, and provide interventions needed to enable all children to enter kindergarten ready to learn.

All centers will become preschool centers of educational excellence through the adoption of high-quality research based early reading curriculum, materials, environment and assessment tools so that children develop the oral language, phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge and print awareness skills needed to begin kindergarten ready to begin to learn to read.

Imperial Valley Ready to Read will adopt the Scholastic Early Childhood Program curriculum. In addition, parents will be trained in dialogic reading so that they can help their children develop their oral language skills through book reading. Professional development will include instruction from local reading trainers, curriculum trainers, and other experts who meet needs identified as the project is implemented. In addition, teachers will also receive coaching to facilitate the transition from knowledge to practice. Imperial Valley Ready to Read will use the Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation (ELLCO) to inform creating a language and literacy rich environment. Pacific Research Associates (PRA) in collaboration with the Grants and Evaluation Office located at the Imperial County Board of Education will conduct the evaluation.

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DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Grantee: Eager to ReadProject Name: The DC Partnership for Early LiteracyProject Director: Jack McCarthy (202) 488-3990; jmccarthy@appletreeinstitute.orgFunding: $1,765,647 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 29 teachers and staff per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 148 per year

The DC Partnership for Early Literacy is a partnership of: Eager to Read, a private, non-profit agency; the United Planning Organization (UPO), DC’s lead Head Start agency; and the District of Columbia Public School’s (DCPS), represented by Amidon Elementary School’s preschool. Three nonprofit education organizations that provide literacy programs for children at-risk of reading failure are also participating in the partnership: Wolf Trap Center for the Performing Arts; The Arena Stage; and First Book. The project will serve five classrooms in four preschools the first year, adding four additional classrooms in year two. The goals of The DC Partnership for Early Literacy are:

Implement the oral language, literacy skills, phonological awareness, and print awareness components of Opening the World of Learning (OWL), a comprehensive early literacy curriculum, with a high degree of fidelity.

Improve cognitive learning opportunities in high-quality language and literature-rich environments.

Increase teachers knowledge of early literacy development and practices through training, professional development and coaching based on scientifically based reading research.

Identify preschool-age children who may be at risk of reading failure by using screening assessments effectively and use those assessments to monitor educational progress.

Prepare students for successful transition into K-3 programs aligned with Reading First.

Services, instructional materials, and activities, including explicit and contextualized instruction will be facilitated by the adoption of the OWL program developed by Judy Schickendanz. Professional development includes demonstration teaching by literacy experts, follow up conferencing, monthly seminars by literacy experts, and frequent observations and discussions with literacy mentors/coaches. Screening reading assessments will include OWL classroom-based assessment rubric. The DC Partnership for Early Literacy includes an evaluation plan that will be carried out by RMC Research Corporation. Measures include the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III, the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening-PreK (PALS Pre-K) and the Expressive One Word Vocabulary Test.

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FLORIDA

Grantee: Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach CountyProject Name: Ready to ReadProject Director: Gaetana Ebbole (561) 655-1010, tanna.ebbole@cscpbc.orgFunding: $2,170,311 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 32 per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 247 per year

Ready to Read is a partnership of The Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County (CSC), the Hispanic Human Resources Council, Inc. (HHRC), the Palm Beach County Literacy Coalition, the School District of Palm Beach County, and Florida Atlantic University. The Ready to Read project will use Early Reading First funds to improve the literacy outcomes of 247 low-income, English language learning preschool children attending HHRC’s two child development centers in West Palm Beach, Florida. The two HHRC centers operate year round, 11.5 hours per day, 5 days per week. At HHRC, English is the primary language used to teach students, with the goal of preparing them for English-speaking schools. The goals of Ready to Read are:

Implement a scientifically based reading research core curriculum and supplemental curricula with a high degree of fidelity.

Enhance the quality of language and literacy in classroom environments as measured by the Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation (ELLCO).

Improve family involvement and the children’s home literacy environment.

Provide professional development to improve teachers’ literacy instruction and practices.

Ready to Read has chosen Sopris West’s We Can! curriculum. Ready to Read has also chosen research-based supplemental materials including Letter Sounds and Strokes, Building Early Literacy and Language Skills (BELLS), LeapDesk Workstation, and Stepping Stones to Literacy. Explicit, teacher-directed instruction, modeling, guided practice, and creative discovery will foster exploration and mastery of content. Ready to Read will provide children with self-selected books to take home and keep, and establish a parent lending library. The professional development program will utilize highly qualified national consultants to provide on-site training on implementing the curricula, using assessments, enhancing the environment, and interpreting data to inform instruction. Through professional development teachers and staff will have access to nationally recognized experts through Summer Institutes; participate in weekly planning sessions; and benefit from continuous modeling, observation and feedback from coaches. Progress monitoring will be conducted using the Galileo assessment system and the We Can! Comprehensive Skills Assessment. Dr. Yash Bhagwanji and Dr. Janet Towell, both from Florida Atlantic University’s College of Education, will conduct the evaluation.

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FLORIDA

Grantee: Northeast Florida Educational ConsortiumProject Name: Northeast Florida Educational Consortium Early Reading First ProjectProject Director: Marsha Hill (386) 329-3800; hillm@nefec.org Funding: $4,110,460 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 32 teachers and staffNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 194 per year

Northeast Florida Educational Consortium Early Reading First Project is designed to provide intensive, ongoing, scientifically based professional development for teachers in five rural, high poverty preschool centers located in current Reading First schools. The project will serve 194 children with at least 75% of 3- and 4-year old children free/reduced meal eligible. The goals of the Northeast Florida Educational Consortium Early Reading First Project are:

Increase preschool teacher knowledge and use of scientifically based reading research.

Improve the oral language abilities (vocabulary and grammar) phonological awareness skills, print knowledge, alphabet knowledge, and motivation to learn to read.

Develop, implement, and maintain a research based, language and literacy rich preschool environment.

Prevent future reading difficulties for children at greatest risk.

Increase the amount of instructional time devoted to daily instruction.

Enhance vocabulary, background knowledge and reasoning skills of children by implementing age appropriate curricula.

Actively involve parents in enriching children’s use of language and vocabulary.

Utilize age appropriate, informative screening and progress monitoring assessments.

Develop a model process for successful transition into established Reading First kindergarten programs.

The Northeast Florida Educational Consortium Early Reading First Project will adopt Open Court Reading Pre-K, (OCR), SRA Language for Learning, ScienceStart! and Big Math for Little Kids. Professional development will include quarterly multi-day Learning Institutes that will bring together preschool teachers, mentor teachers, the leadership team and project consultants. A qualified mentor teacher will be assigned to each preschool center. The mentor will provide ongoing, intensive, classroom- focused follow-up training and implementation support. Screening reading assessments include the use of the Phonological Awareness and Literacy Screenings (PALS-PreK), Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT-III) and Get Ready to Read!

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ILLINOIS

Grantee: Northeastern Illinois UniversityProject Name: Roots Of Language and Literacy (ROLL)Project Director: Gina Gamboa (773) 522-9595, g-gamboa@neiu.eduFunding: $3,613,437 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 71 teachers and staffNumber of School Districts Served: 3 centersNumber of Students Served: 256 per year

ROLL is a partnership of Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) as the operator of the NEIU Child Care Center, and two preschool centers operated by the Children’s Center of Cicero/Berwyn. Of the 256 children served, 77% qualify for free or reduced price lunch and 80% are English Language Learners. The professional development is tied to research that highlights the importance of immersing teachers and mentors in the study of contextual problems of practice in the field with diverse populations, and linking those experiences with course work. The goals of ROLL are:

Improvement in oral language-rich and print-rich classroom and home environments

Increase teachers’ qualifications and knowledge of strategies to support the development of early foundational skills for literacy

Improve teachers’ instruction and planning for early literacy through collaborative classroom mentoring

Improvement in outcomes for children’s oral language, cognition, and early reading skills through improved teacher knowledge and instruction, classroom environment, and family involvement

Explicit and contextualized literacy instruction using Building Language for Literacy and High/Scope Key Experiences will be supplemented by materials from the Santillana Early Childhood Program (SECP) for native Spanish speakers. A balanced assessment of each child’s literacy development will include the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III, Expressive Vocabulary Test (EVT), Get Ready to Read!, Early Literacy Assessment (ELA), and Get it! Got it! Go!, and the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Literacy (DIBELS) at appropriate times supplemented by portfolios, digital documentation, and teacher and parent ratings. Dr. Joseph Fischer will conduct the independent evaluation.

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IOWA

Grantee: Des Moines Independent Community School DistrictProject Name: Pathways to Early Learning and Literacy (PELL)Project Director: Nancy Duey (515) 242-7588, nancy.duey@dmps.k12.ia.usFunding: $2,968,800 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 55 teachers and staff per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 303 per year

Pathways to Early Learning and Literacy (PELL) will strengthen a currently existing collaboration among the Des Moines Public Schools (DMPS), United Way, Head Start, Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC), Drake University, and Human Services Planning Alliance. PELL will enhance the quality of five early learning programs that serve primarily low-income preschool children in impoverished neighborhoods of Des Moines, Iowa. All centers serve children full-day, full-year and serve children for the two consecutive years prior to their entry into kindergarten. PELL’s goal are:

At least 80% of all children served in PELL preschools will demonstrate significant improvement in their development of oral language, phonological awareness, print awareness, and alphabet knowledge and enter kindergarten ready to learn to begin to read.

All PELL staff will implement the research based principles and skills presented via professional development and on-site coaching to create an optimal print-rich learning environment, increase explicit instruction in early reading skills, use student assessment data to inform instruction, and increase the frequency and quality of staff-child interactions.

At least 80% of PELL parents will increase the frequency and quality of parent-child interactions that support literacy and school success. At least 80% of PELL families will increase their level of literacy as measured by progress toward personal and family goals as measured by Family Partnership Agreements and the La Familia Inventory.

The PELL program will facilitate improved organizational support for at-risk preschool children through early screening, prevention and intervention strategies.

PELL will implement Scholastic’s Building Language for Literacy (BLL) curriculum and will facilitate the use of explicit instruction, indirect instruction, and purposeful play in both small and large groups. Instruction will be structured, systematic and aligned with scientifically based reading research. Five literacy coaches will be funded by PELL to provide on-going professional development for all teachers and staff. Scholastic and members of the Iowa Department of Education Statewide Reading Team will also provide training. Children’s progress through the curriculum will be monitored using observation checklists developed by the Center for Improving the Readiness of Children for Learning and Education (CIRCLE) and BLL unit pretests and post-tests. Dr. Jill Johnson of Drake University will serve as the external evaluator.

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KANSAS

Grantee: Unified School District #475Project Name: Foundations of Literacy Activities for Geary County Children: F.L.A.G.Project Director: Pat Anderson (785) 238-6184;patanderson@usd475.org Funding: $2,137,091 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 33 per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 269 per year

Unified School District #475, located in Junction City, Kansas, will serve 269 children living in poverty. Foundations of Literacy Activities for Geary County Children: F.L.A.G. (FLAG) will establish early intervention model demonstration sites (Centers of Excellence) that focus on language, literacy, and pre-reading development activities for children with the greatest need. The goals of FLAG are:

Develop an integrated curriculum of language and literacy based on scientifically based reading research (SBRR) that prepares children for school.

Create high-quality language and literature-rich environments in five Centers of Excellence that support the attainment of literacy and language skills necessary for reading development in kindergarten and beyond.

Provide a professional development model based on SBRR so that early childhood educators in the five Centers of Excellence provide consistent language and literacy activities that are aligned with the National Panels and USD 465’s reading plan.

Services, instructional materials, and activities, including explicit and contextualized instruction, will be facilitated with the use the Curiosity Corner (CC) curriculum. Professional development will include workshops along with ongoing training, and classroom observations by literacy coaches and mentors. Screening reading assessments will include the Structured Oral Language Observation (SOLO) along with the Preschool Language Scale-4 (PLS-4) and the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS). FLAG, includes an evaluation plan that will be carried out by the University of Kansas, Institute for Educational Research and Public Service.

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KANSAS

Grantee: University Of Kansas Medical CenterProject Name: Early Reading First-Wyandotte County (Wy-ERF)Project Director: Martha D. Staker (913) 281-2648, mstaker@kumc.eduFunding: $ 2,824,166 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 12-18 teachers and staff per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 94-154 per year

Early Reading First-Wyandotte County (Wy-ERF) is a partnership between Project EAGLE of the University of Kansas Medical Center and Juniper Gardens Children’s Project to serve children in the Economic Opportunity Foundation Head Start and the Blessed Sacrament Family Center, where in total 92% of children are from low-income families.

The goals of Wy-ERF are:

To integrate research based instructional materials and literacy activities into existing programs of collaborating preschool and Head Start centers.

To increase the use of evidence based instructional strategies and activities for enhancing oral language, phonological awareness, print awareness, and alphabet knowledge.

To raise the level of environmental support for language and early literacy development in cooperating Wy-ERF preschool centers.

To provide professional development for cooperating preschool centers based on scientifically based reading research that will enhance preschool children’s language, literacy and pre-reading development.

To increase the use of screening and progress monitoring reading assessments that will effectively identify children at-risk for reading failure and lead to improved instruction for individual instruction for individual children.

Milieu Teaching will be used to enhance oral language skills, while Ladders to Literacy will be used for increasing phonological awareness. Teachers and staff will receive workshops and on-site training, and mentor coaches will be at the centers to model best practices. The Project will use the Expressive One-Word Vocabulary Test, Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, One-Word Vocabulary Test-Spanish Bilingual Edition, Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (Pre-CTOPP and CTOPP), and the Preschool Oral Language and Early Literacy Indicators. The Evaluation Director is Dr. Jane Atwater, of the University of Kansas’ Institute for Life-Span Studies.

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KENTUCKY

Grantee: Ohio Valley Educational Cooperative (OVEC)Project Name: OVEC Early Reading First ProgramProject Director: Karla Gibbs (502) 647-3533, kgibbs@ovec.coop.k12.ky.usFunding: $3,972,083 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 26 teachers and staff per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 3Number of Students Served: 220 per year

OVEC is a public non-profit organization that administers Head Start programs in rural communities in three Kentucky LEAs: Henry County Public Schools, Eminence Independent Schools, and Owen County Public Schools. The project will serve 220 students, of whom 83% qualify for free or reduced priced lunch, in the Henry/Eminence Preschool Center and the Owen County Preschool Center. The goals of the project are:

To demonstrate language and literacy activities based on scientifically based reading research that support the age-appropriate development of young children’s oral language, phonological awareness, print awareness, and alphabet knowledge.

To support children’s mastery of skills in oral language, phonological awareness, print awareness, and alphabet knowledge to levels that will ensure success in kindergarten and beyond.

To involve parents in their children’s early learning and to assist them in learning new strategies for creating a home environment that will support the development of their children’s oral language and literacy skills.

To support local efforts to enhance the early language, literacy, and pre-reading development of preschool-age children through strategies and professional development that are based on scientifically based reading research.

In addition to adding six new staff at one center that will allow it to operate full-day and year-round, the project also will hire three early childhood specialists, two speech-language pathologists, and seven family liaisons. The project will implement Building Language for Literacy (BLL) and will provide at least one hour and 40 minutes of daily intentional instruction in oral language, phonological awareness, print awareness, and alphabet knowledge. Teachers will be trained in how to integrate the currently used curricula, High/Scope and Creative Curriculum, with BLL, and will also be trained in HeadsUp! Reading. Multiple assessments to screen and monitor children’s knowledge will be used, including: Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III, Individual Growth and Development Indicators (IGDI), Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE) (for phonological awareness), Get Ready to Read! Screening tool, and BLL’s informal and formal daily assessments. Dr. Robert Popp will conduct the evaluation.

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KENTUCKY

Grantee: Whitley County Board of EducationProject Name: Children’s Literacy Initiative to Make Better-Educated Readers (Project

CLIMBERS) Project Director: Terry Skinner (606) 549-7000, ext. 37, tskinner@whitley.k12.ky.usFunding: $4,496,327 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 11 teachers and 26 staff per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 315 per year

The Whitley County Board of Education in partnership with the Bell-Whitley Community Action Agency will serve 315 children and 37 staff members in the following centers: Boston Elementary; Pleasant View Elementary; Whitley County North Elementary; Oak Grove Elementary; Whitley County Central Elementary. As a result of Project CLIMBERS, students will spend 40% more time engaged in learning. The goals of Project CLIMBERS are:

To increase the amount of systematic and explicit instruction provided to children in activities that will develop their oral language, phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, and print awareness to ensure their success in kindergarten and beyond.

To provide preschool-age children with environments that are rich in language and literacy learning opportunities at home and at school.

To increase preschool staff knowledge about language and literacy instruction and assessment through professional development.

To use ongoing screening and monitoring assessments to determine children’s level of knowledge in language and literacy and to identify at-risk children.

Project staff will integrate Building Language for Literacy (BLL) into the existing Creative Curriculum and Core Knowledge Preschool Sequence. An Early Reading First Coach will be assigned to each center to serve as a mentor and leader to the preschool staff. The Project will use Get Ready To Read! and the Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning, 3rd edition (DIAL-3) as screening tools, and the BLL assessment tool will measure skills in oral language, phonological awareness, letter knowledge, and print knowledge to monitor children’s progress through the curriculum. Teachers will also use the Core Knowledge Preschool Assessment Tool, and the Early Language Learning and Classroom Observation Toolkit (ELLCO). Dr. Robert Popp will conduct the evaluation.

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MASSACHUSETTS

Grantee: Boston Public SchoolsProject Name: Boston’s Early Reading First ProgramProject Director: Charlotte Harris (617) 635-9050; charria@bostonk12.ma.usFunding: $2,716,060 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 21 teachers and 20 paraprofessionals per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 320 per year

Boston’s Early Reading First Program is a partnership of the Boston Public Schools, the Hanson Initiative for Language and Literacy, Scholastic Publishers, and The Donohue Group. The project will serve 320 children at six preschool centers, their 21 certified teachers, and 20 paraprofessionals. The centers, which serve both three-and four-year old children, are open for ten hours each day for the 36-week school year. The goals of Boston Early Reading First are:

Establish print-rich environments that are purposeful to children.

Develop children’s oral language by increasing their vocabulary, speech, articulation, and developing ability to listen and speak for different purposes.

Develop children’s phonological awareness, including their ability to hear, identify, and manipulate sounds of spoken worrd, recognize and produce rhyming words, identifying words within sentences and syllables within words, and identifying indvidual phonemes.

Build children’s alphabet knowledge.

Build children’s print awareness.

Services, instructional materials, and activities, including explicit and contextualized instruction will be facilitated by the adoption of the Scholastic Early Childhood Program and ReadingLine Sound and Letter Kits. Professional development includes curriculum specific professional development provided by the publishers; underlying concepts, research, and best practices conveyed by Pathways to Literacy, a course created and provided by the Hanson Initiative for Language and Literacy, a program of Harvard University within the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Institute for Health Professionals; and mentoring by certified reading coaches. Screening reading assessments will include Get It! Got It! Go!, the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening-PreK (PALS-PreK), and the Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE). Boston’s Early Reading First Program includes an evaluation plan that will be carried out by The Donohue Institute’s Dr. Eric Heller, Director of Research and Evaluation.

18

MICHIGAN

Grantee: The Regents of the University of MichiganProject Name: MI-PAL: Michigan Preschoolers Acquiring Language and LiteracyProject Director: Julie Washington (734) 764-8440, washja@umich.eduFunding: $3,133,893 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 55 teachers and staff per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 3Number of Students Served: 593 per year

Michigan Preschoolers Acquiring Language and Literacy (MI-PAL) is a partnership of the Ann Arbor Public Schools, Ypsilanti Head Start, and Oak Park Public Schools. The project will serve approximately 593 three- and four- year olds and 55 teachers and staff. The goals of MI-PAL include:

Improving the language, cognitive and early reading skills for young children.

Providing learning opportunities in high-quality language and literature rich environments.

Enhancing early language, literacy and prereading development through professional development.

Using screening reading assessments to effectively identify children at risk for reading failure.

MI-PAL will adopt Scholastic’s ReadingLine preschool kits to develop important phonological awareness skills, including letter and sound recognition and identification, oral blending, alliteration, rhyming, sight word and oral vocabulary development, and writing target letters and words. The Kindergarten Literature Program for Preschools will be used to complement Reading Line. Professional development workshops will cover topics that will assist teachers with implementing ReadingLine and Kindergarten Literature Program for Preschools, encouraging language growth in the classroom, continuous assessment, connecting with parents, and integrating children with special needs into the language and literacy curriculum. In addition, master teachers at each center will serve as mentors. Screening reading assessments selected by the project include the Preschool Comprehensive Test of Phonological and Print Processing, the KLP-P, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, and the Expressive Vocabulary Test. Children’s progress through the curriculum will be assessed using the Michigan Literacy Progress Profile and ReadingLine’s running records and end of unit assessments.

19

MINNESOTA

Grantee: Bloomington Public SchoolsProject Name: Early Reading First Get Ready Centers of Educational ExcellenceProject Director: Michala (Kay) Miller (952) 681-6214, kmiller@bloomington.k12.mn.usFunding: $2,998,537 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 22 teachers and staff per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 136 per year

Early Reading First Get Ready Centers of Educational Excellence (Get Ready) is partnership created by: the Bloomington Public schools; the Richfield Public Schools; the Early Childhood Family Education Department (ECFE), the early childhood program serving both Bloomington and Richfield Public Schools; MIRA, a local social service agency for Spanish-speaking families; and the University of Minnesota’s Center for Early Education Development (CEED). Through Early Reading First funding, the ECFE centers will increase their services to 6.5 hours per day, five days per week, for 46 weeks per year and add services for three-year old children. Adding three-year olds will ensure at-risk children have the opportunity to attend a high-quality language- and literacy- focused preschool for two years prior to entry into kindergarten. Get Ready incorporates five goals:

Improve children’s language, cognitive and early reading skills.

Improve classroom environments.

Increase staff capacity.

Improve curriculum and instruction.

Improve assessment and progress monitoring.

The Get Ready centers will use a literacy framework developed by CEED. The framework is a research-based training and coaching program that helps early educators acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to increase early literacy and language development in the classroom and use assessment and progress monitoring data to drive instruction for individual students. The project will build on the framework by implementing The Wright Group’s Doors to Discovery curriculum. MIRA’s participation in the project will ensure an increased level of direct literacy support to parents who are English language learners. In addition to professional development provided by CEED, educators will receive curriculum-specific professional development as well as one-on-one and small group coaching. Get Ready centers will use the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III and the Teacher Rating of Oral language and Literacy (TROLL) as screening instruments. The Doors to Discovery curriculum assessments will be used to monitor children’s progress through the curriculum. The Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvements at the University of Minnesota will perform the evaluation.

20

MINNESOTA

Grantee: Cass Lake-Bena Public SchoolsProject Name: Cass Lake-Bena Curiosity CenterProject Director: Pamela M. Olson (201) 335-2201, polson@clbs.k12.mn.us Funding: $1,038,444 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 3 per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 36 per year

Cass Lake-Bena Curiosity Center Preschool serves a predominantly Native American population with a high poverty rate. Currently, the center offers two separate two-day per week programs, one for three-year olds and the other for four- and five-year old children. With Early Reading First funding, the Cass Lake-Bena Curiosity Center Preschool will serve all children enrolled 6.5 hours per day, five days per week for 46 weeks per year. The goal of the Cass Lake-Bena Curiosity Center project is to transform the existing center into a center of excellence which prevents later reading difficulties by providing research based instruction in a literature-, language-, and print-rich environment and addressing language acquisition barriers. In order to meet this goal, the project has adopted the following objectives:

Adopt a scientifically based reading research curriculum.

Expand preschool instruction to full-day, full week, and full-year.

Enhance the preschool environment through the acquisition of additional literature, materials and supplies.

Measure student achievement and use this information to improve instruction for all students.

Address the specific language acquisition needs of all preschool children.

Expend the home-school connection.

Cass Lake-Bena Curisoty Center Preschool will adopt the Success for All Foundation’s Curiosity Corner curriculum. In addition, the project will utilize Fast ForWord Preeschool from Scientific Learning Corporation. Professional development will include workshops provided by Success for All followed by in-class coaching. The project will also implement a peer coaching model which includes regular video-taped observations and feedback. An on-site speech and language clinician will ensure that best practices in language acquisition are integrated throughout the day.

21

MINNESOTA

Grantee: Special School District #1, Minneapolis Public SchoolsProject Name: Minneapolis Early Reading First ProjectProject Director: Maureen Seiwert (612) 668-5301, mseiwert@mpls.k12.mn.usFunding: $4,498,754 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 13 per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 125 per year

The Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS), in partnership with the University of Minnesota Center for Early Education and Development (CEED), the Minneapolis Youth Coordinating Board (YCB) and the Hennepin County Human Services Department will enhance and expand five existing preschool programs that fully prepare children with the oral language skills, phonological and print awareness, alphabet knowledge, and social skills and competencies necessary to provide a successful transition into kindergarten and later school success. The five preschool programs selected have the capacity to provide high-quality, intensive services to 125 Minneapolis children during the two-year period prior to kindergarten. Each of the selected programs is located in an area where children have the option of transitioning into a MPS Reading First school where more than 75% of children qualify for free/reduced price lunch. The goals of the Minneapolis Early Reading First project are:

80 percent of Early Reading First children will meet beginning kindergarten assessment benchmarks correlated with successful reading at 3rd grade, with the other 20 percent showing significant increases in their knowledge and skills in language and literacy.

Throughout early elementary years (grades K-3), Early Reading First children will sustain and build upon early literacy and language skills developed during the project period. (This goal extends beyond the end of the project period. Data will be gathered by MPS and analyzed by CEED using non-Early Reading First funds to measure the long-term significance of the Early Reading First project.)

Every classroom is literacy- and language-rich.

All teachers develop skill for promoting early literacy.

The Minneapolis Early Reading First Project will implement Scholastic’s Building Language for Literacy curriculum in each of the five centers. Professional development will include seven three-hour interactive and skill-based workshops plus additional mentoring. Screening measures that will be implemented by the project are the Minneapolis Preschool Screening Instrument, the Get It!, Got It!, Go!, and the Letter Naming Fluency subtest from the Dynamic Indicators of Early Literacy Skills. Dr. Scott McConnell of the Center for Early Education and Development at the University of Minnesota will serve as director of the Minneapolis Early Reading First Project evaluation.

22

NEBRASKA

Grantee: Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska-LincolnProject Name: Portales a Aprender Leer (PAL)Project Director: J. Ron Nelson, (402) 472-0283Funding: $2,687,442for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 8 teachers and staff per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 106 per year

Portales a Aprender Leer (PAL) is a partnership between the University of Nebraska, Lincoln and South Sioux Community Schools to support four preschool classrooms on a full-day, full-year basis serving approximately 110 predominately Spanish-speaking preschoolers and their families. Over 90% of the children who will be served by the project qualify for free or reduced priced lunches. All four of the preschool programs involved in the program are located at the Siouxland Family Center. The four preschool programs proposed for inclusion by PAL are 1) a Title VII Bilingual Education Preschool, 2) a State Funded Early Childhood Preschool, 3) a District Special Education Preschool, and 4) a Migrant Education Even Start. The goals of PAL are:

To improve preschool-age children’s language, cognitive and early reading skills so that 100% of preschool children demonstrate measured improvements.

To provide staff development strategies and curricula, grounded in scientifically based reading research that support teachers’ efforts to promote early language, literacy, and pre-reading development among all preschoolers.

To provide high-quality and instructionally relevant assessments to screen and monitor students’ progress and identify students who may be at risk of reading failure in future years.

To prepare preschool students with the foundational language, cognitive and early reading skills necessary to ensure a successful transition into kindergarten.

PAL will implement the Scholastic Early Childhood Program as its core curriculum. Language for Learning will be used to supplement the core curriculum for students experiencing difficulties with oral language. Stepping Stones to Literacy will provide sustained, intensive programming for preschool children who need additional support in order to achieve benchmarks. Teachers will receive professional development from Scholastic and the Nebraska Early Childhood Training Center. Additionally, teachers will be eligible to attend professional development workshops offered through Nebraska’s Reading First initiative. Trained coaches will provide support for transition from knowledge to practice. PAL will use the Get It! Got It! Go!, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III, and the Center for Applied Linguistics’ Spanish and English Phonological Awareness Task Test.

23

NEW MEXICO

Grantee: Regional Education Cooperative VIIIProject Name: Regional Education Cooperative VIII Collaborative for Centers of

Excellence (CCOE)Project Director: Belinda Morris (505) 392-7179Funding: $ 1,630,058 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 10 teachers and staff per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 4Number of Students Served: 100 per year

The CCOE is a cooperative of four member school districts, of which the following four centers will be Early Reading First centers: the Eunice Preschool; Jenkins-Nunan; Jal Preschool; and Tatum Preschool. The project will serve 100 children in the first year of the grant, increasing to 120 children in years two and three, in small, rural communities located in New Mexico. This project will expand services from special needs children to increased access to preschool for all. The goals of the CCOE are:

Increase by ten percent over the preceding year the percentage of children entering kindergarten prepared to learn to read.

Increase by ten percent each preschool year the percentage of children achieving age-appropriate development of letter recognition, phonological awareness, oral language and print awareness.

Demonstrate high-quality language and literature rich environments as measured by the Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation kit (ELLCO).

Obtain ELLCO scores that reflect teachers’ skills in providing scientifically based reading instruction to accelerate the early language, literacy, and pre-reading development of preschool-age children, particularly those from low-income families, and ELL students.

CCOE will use the Scott Foresman Pre-K Literacy Program as the foundation curriculum, for which Scott Foresman curricular experts will provide training. Elementary schools in the participating districts have adopted the Scott Foresman program for K-3, thus aligning what CCOE participants learn with what they will be expected to know in kindergarten. Three hours a day will be provided in direct instruction in literacy, which will be expanded through additional literacy- and language-rich activities throughout the day. The CCOE will also provide instruction to teachers and staff through HeadsUp! Reading, classroom coaching and mentoring, summer institutes, and bi-monthly teacher meetings, for a total of more than 350 hours of professional development over three years. The CCOE will implement a home literacy program based on the Parents As Teachers (PAT) program with year-round home support from PAT certified trainers. The Education Center, a non-profit dedicated to education research, professional development and project evaluation, will conduct the project’s evaluation.

24

NEW YORK

Grantee: Syracuse City School DistrictProject Name: Syracuse City School DistrictProject Director: Christine Vogelsang (315) 435-4276;cvogel05@scsd.us Funding: $2,866,003Number of Teachers Served: 13 teachers and 20 staffNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 294

Syracuse City School District joins Syracuse University, Onondaga Community College, State Universities at Cortland and Oswego, the Child Care Council of Onondaga County, local public television, 10 other community members and parents to transform a Head Start/Salvation Army collaborative childcare and 3 District Reading First elementary schools with pre-k classes into 4 Early Reading First Centers of Excellence. The 4 sites are based on a poverty rate of at least 80% and the capacity to expand and operate full time/full-year preschool programs. The goals of the Syracuse City School District are:

Extend the school year and school day to increase time on literacy tasks.

Improve and intensify professional development for teachers, paraprofessionals and leaders to plan, facilitate and assess scientifically based reading research instruction.

Systematically measure student progress, teachers’ performance and quality of instruction using data to drive instruction and staff development.

Provide coaching, modeling and opportunities for guided practice in designing, facilitating and evaluating scientifically based literacy instruction.

Provide intensive and continuous professional development and mentoring grounded in scientifically based knowledge of language and early reading development.

Services, instructional materials, and activities, including explicit and contextualized instruction, will be facilitated with a curriculum that is in alignment with the New York State Learning Standards with the adoption of the Scott Foresman (SF) Pre-K curriculum. The professional development plan includes support by highly qualified Literacy Coaches who will provide job embedded experiences that are intensive, focused and of sufficient duration to achieve training goals. Staff development will be individually guided and include training, bimonthly study groups, online/onsite credit bearing courses, observation and feedback and involvement in an improvement process and inquiry. Screening reading assessments will include the use of the Get It! Got It! Go! (Pre-k IGDI), Get Ready to Read! and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test III. The Syracuse City School District includes an evaluation plan that will be carried out by Apter and O’Connor Associates.

25

NEW YORK

Grantee: University of RochesterProject Name: Early Reading First in an Integrated Content-based CurriculumProject Director: Lucia French (585) 275-3235, lfrench@its.rochester.eduFunding: $ 3,815,680 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 8 teachers and staff per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 240 per year

Early Reading First in an Integrated Content-based Curriculum is a partnership among the Department of Catholic Schools, Diocese of Rochester; the Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development, University of Rochester; and the Warner Center for Professional Development and Education Reform. The project will create Early Reading First centers of educational excellence comprising four urban preschool programs that serve 240 low-income, high-risk minority 3- and 4-year olds. The goals of the project include:

Develop children’s language, cognitive and early reading skills, providing a foundation for preschool children’s later school success.

Build active school-home partnerships that will promote the development of children’s language, cognitive and early reading skills.

Ensure successful learning experiences for all children, including those with special needs.

Implement on-going assessment to inform instruction for each child.

The Early Reading First in an Integrated Content-based Curriculum Project will adopt Science Start!, a content-rich preschool curriculum in which science activities serve as the hub around which all other classroom activities are integrated. Professional development will be provided through weekly in-class mentoring, weekly in-school team meetings, and quarterly workshops for teachers and paraprofessionals. Professional development will also be enhanced by direct services in the classroom from specialized consultants in speech language pathology, psychology, and special education. The Get It! Got It! Go!, the Get Ready to Read, and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III will be implemented to monitor children’s progress. Dr. Michael Wischnowski of St. John Fisher will oversee the evaluation.

26

OHIO

Grantee: Cleveland State UniversityProject Name: Project LEAPS: Literacy Enrichment and Achievement for Preschool

SuccessProject Director: Terri L. Purcell (216) 875-9705, t.l.purcell@csuohio.eduFunding: $3,032,543 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 21 teachers and staff per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 208 per year

Project LEAPS is a partnership of the Cleveland Municipal School District, Head Start Superior Academy, and Cleveland State University. The project will serve 208 children, 80% of whom are eligible for free and reduced priced meals. In addition 21 teachers and staff will be served. The goals of Projects LEAPS are:

Create high-quality oral language and literacy experiences that are grounded in scientifically based reading research for children in 10 preschool classrooms using a literacy-rich curriculum.

Equip 10 classrooms and 100% of participating students’ homes with a variety of books and materials to create a language and print rich environment.

Provide 10 teachers, two Directors/Principals and nine educational aides with professional development grounded in scientifically based reading research.

Use assessment and monitoring tools to effectively identify student literacy needs and prevent later reading difficulties.

The instructional program supporting Project LEAPS is Scholastic’s Building Language for Literacy (BLL). BLL will provide children with essential language and literacy experiences needed to build the foundation for successful reading. Professional development will prepare teachers and instructional aides to understand the role of scientifically based reading research in the classroom as well as the use of the BLL curriculum. Professional development will occur monthly, with mentoring and coaching occurring weekly. Screening reading assessments will include Get It!, Got It!, Go!, the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS-Pre-K), and the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS)-Initial Sound Fluency Subtest. RMC Research Corporation will serve as the external evaluator for the project. Additional evaluation measures include the Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation (ELLCO) and the Pre-LAS.

27

RHODE ISLAND

Grantee: The Providence PlanProject Name: Ready to Learn ProvidenceProject Director: Joyce Butler (401) 455-8880; jbutler@providenceplan.org Funding: $2,975,000 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 27 teachers and staff per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 216 children per year

Ready to Learn Providence is a non-profit organization serving 216 children at four sites: Carter Day Child Care Center, Providence YMCA InTown Branch, Providence Head Start Cianci Center and Levitan Complex. These sites are all located within one mile of one or more of the city's Reading First schools. Of all children at the four sites, 91% qualify for free and reduced price lunch. The goals of Ready to Learn Providence are:

Integrate a common research-based early literacy curriculum into our ERF sites' existing curricula to support the development of oral language, phonological awareness, print awareness and alphabet knowledge for all preschool-age children.

Create 12 ERF classrooms that provide rich environments of print and non-print experiences related to language and literacy development to improve preschoolers' oral language, cognition, and early reading skills.

Provide classroom teachers with a scientifically based professional development framework and implementation that provides them with the skills and mentoring they need to provide children with high quality language development and early reading skills.

Services, instructional materials, and activities, including explicit and contextualized instruction, will be facilitated with the use of a child development framework Creative Curriculum, which they have augmented by implementing the early literacy domains of the Rhode Island Early Literacy Standards into their daily activities. They have selected the Building Language for Literacy (BLL) component of the Scholastic Early Childhood Program as the literacy curriculum to be used in the twelve Early Reading First classrooms. Professional development will include a variety of across-site, small group, one-on-one, and distance-learning training opportunities. Teachers from all four sites will come together for monthly training workshops arranged and facilitated by Early Literacy Coaches. Screening reading assessments will be used to identify preschool-age children who may be at risk for reading failure and to guide teaching instruction, professional development activities, and family involvement strategies. Assessments that will be used are Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening Pre-K (PALS-Pre-K) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III. Ready to Learn Providence includes an evaluation plan that will be carried out by the Research and Evaluation division of the Education Alliance at Brown University.

28

SOUTH DAKOTA

Grantee: Shannon County School DistrictProject Name: Shannon County Schools Early Reading FirstProject Director: Margo Heinert (605) 455-6694, mheinert@shannon.wsFunding: $2,290,345 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 14 Teachers and Staff per year.Number of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 120 per year

The Shannon County Early Reading First Project will support the improvement and expansion of preschool services on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota in order to improve the language, cognitive, and early reading skills of young children. Currently, the Shannon Early Childhood Program serves a total of 60 children in four classrooms located in three elementary schools across the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The goal of the Shannon County Early Reading Project is that every child enters kindergarten fully prepared to begin to learn to read. The project objectives that support this goal are to:

Improve curriculum and instructional strategies to reflect scientifically based reading research practices in developing children’s oral language, phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge, and print awareness.

Improve classroom environments, providing rich language and print environments that are engaging, meaningful, and support integrated content learning.

Strengthen staff capacity and qualifications to provide effective early literacy instruction through professional development.

Expand access to high-quality preschool experiences by increasing enrollment to 40 students at each site.

Shannon County Early Reading First Project will adopt Pearson’s Opening the World of Learning Curriculum (OWL). Nationally certified trainers for the curricula and proposed assessments will provide professional development. In addition, the University of Minnesota’s Center for Early Education and Development (CEED) will provide training on scientifically based reading research and best practices. A full-time literacy coach will provide on-going coaching to reinforce professional development sessions and help teachers and paraprofessionals integrate instructional activities, materials, tools, and measures into their overall preschool program. Screening and progress monitoring measures include the Get Ready to Read, the Teacher Rating of Oral Language and Literacy (TROLL), the Test of Early Reading Ability (TERA-3), and the Oral and Written Language Scales (OWLS).

29

TENNESSEE

Grantee: Claiborne County Board of EducationProject Name: The Alpha School: Getting the Right Start on the Road to LiteracyProject Director: Dr. Elizabeth Fugate, (423) 626-3543, efugate@centurytel.netFunding: $2,744,526 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 8 teachers and staff per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 100 per year

The Alpha School: Getting the Right Start on the Road to Literacy was developed to meet the early language and literacy needs of the preschool children in Claiborne County. The Alpha Center is a preschool center, built in 2001, as a joint venture of the Claiborne County School System and the Claiborne County Industrial Board. The joint endeavor was initiated to provide high-quality preschool programming for preschool-age children of local factory workers. The Alpha School offers a five-day per week, yearlong program for three- and four-year old children in Claiborne County. The goal of The Alpha School: Getting the Right Start on the Road to Literacy project is to ensure that preschool children develop the language, cognitive and early reading skills necessary to start kindergarten ready to begin to learn to read. The project will do this by meeting the following objectives:

Reducing the staff ratio to 1:7 to facilitate higher quality language and instructional interactions between children and adults.

Enhance the quality of the instruction through the implementation of a scientifically based reading research curriculum and additional instructional supports and materials.

Ensure that instruction is targeted to meet the needs of each child through the use of assessments.

Implement a high-quality professional development plan for teachers grounded in scientifically based reading research.

Claiborne County has adopted the Scott-Foresman program as its core reading program in its K-3rd grade. So that children have the skills and abilities necessary to benefit from this program, The Alpha School: Getting the Right Start on the Road to Literacy will adopt the Scott-Foresman Pre-K Literacy Program as its core reading program as well. In order to ensure that teachers have the information needed to target instruction towards individual children’s needs, the project will screen children using the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test III and the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening-PreK (PALS PreK). The Appalachian Educational Laboratory will provide a five-day Early Reading First Academy on scientifically based reading research early reading development and instruction. Scott-Foresman will also provide curriculum-focused professional development.

30

TENNESSEE

Grantee: United Way of Metropolitan NashvilleProject Name: Read to SucceedProject Director: Samantha Wigand (615) 780-2467,

Samantha.Wigand@unitedwaynashville.orgFunding: $2,983,779 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 62 teachers and staff per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 352 per year

The program will implement their Early Reading First project in five preschool centers targeting 352 low-income children. Children at these centers attend nine hours per day, five days per week, 52 weeks per year. The goals of Read to Succeed are aligned with the new Metropolitan Nashville Public School Pre-Kindergarten standards for literacy and math:

Oral language – listening comprehension and verbal expression

Phonological awareness – phonemic awareness

Print awareness

Alphabet knowledge – letter knowledge and written expression

Read to Succeed will implement two different early literacy curricula – Doors to Discovery for children ages 4 and 5, and Read, Play, and Learn! for children ages 2 and 3. Teachers will be trained in the HeadsUp! Reading program and will begin Book Club, a course designed to help teachers learn about the ways storybook reading can be used to enhance emerging literacy based on research-based practices. The evaluation includes the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III; Get Ready to Read; Dynamic Indicators of Basic Literacy (DIBELS); Hawaii Early Learning Profile; and the Early Language Learning and Classroom Observation Toolkit (ELLCO). The Health and Education Research Operative Services (HEROS), Inc., lead by Dr. Jayne Boyd-Zaharias, will assess the outcomes of the program.

31

TENNESSEE

Grantee: Wayne County Board of EducationProject Name: Wayne County Literacy Acceleration ProjectProject Director: Terry Wayne Hampton (931) 722-3548, hamptont1@k12tn.netFunding: $4,500,000 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 28 Teachers and Staff per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 140 per year

The Wayne County Schools Partnership’s Early Reading First Initiative is a partnership of the Wayne County Early Childhood Pre-Kindergarten and Even Start family literacy program. The project will serve 140 students and 28 teachers per year. The goal of Wayne County Schools Partnership’s Early Reading First Initiative is to improve the language, cognitive and early reading skills for all high-risk preschool children in a large rural county. The objectives the Initiative has adopted in order to meet the overarching goal are to:

Prepare and provide on-going assistance to staff through professional development and other support.

Provide services, instructional materials and activities grounded in scientifically based reading research.

Use screening reading assessments or other measures to determine skills children are learning and identify children who might be at risk for reading failure.

Help children, especially those experiencing difficulty with language and early reading skills, to make the transition from preschool to formal classroom instruction.

Involve parents meaningfully in their children’s education.

Provide environments for children that are rich in print and language.

Services, instructional materials, and activities, including explicit and contextualized instruction, will be facilitated by the adoption of the research-based curriculum Pearson’s Opening the World of Learning (OWL), developed by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, Dr. Judy Schickedanz and Dr. David Dickinson. In addition, the Initiative will also integrate Ladders to Literacy to provide greater opportunities for small-group interaction. Each teacher, paraprofessional, and administrator will receive extensive professional development prior to the implementation of the new curricula. In addition, the Initiative will provide for a project facilitator at each site who will provide coaching and mentoring to teachers and staff. Teachers will monitor their students’ progress through the curriculum using the Get it! Got it! Go! and the OWL rubrics. For the evaluation, the project will use the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III and the following subtests from the Woodcock Johnson III: Letter-Word Identification, Spelling, Oral Comprehension, and Story Recall. Dr. Dale Farran of Peabody College, Vanderbilt University and Dr. Mark Lipsey of the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies will conduct the evaluation.

32

VIRGINIA

Grantee: Virginia Commonwealth UniversityProject Name: Richmond Early Reading FirstProject Director: Mark E. Emblidge (804) 225-8777Funding: $3,304,973 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 41 teachers and staff per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 210 per year

Richmond Early Reading First (RERF), an interdisciplinary, university-community partnership, will enhance the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Head Start program to develop centers of excellence that provide high-quality preschool education and serve as permanent models of scientifically based early literacy instruction in Virginia. This partnership includes the VCU School of Social Work (Head Start), the Virginia Literacy Institute, and VCU School of Education (Departments of Teaching and Learning; Special Education and Disability Policy; Training and Technical Assistance Center). Through the use of instructional strategies and curricula selected from scientifically based reading research (SBRR); focused, staff development-improved literacy environments; and increased family involvement, the RERF program will promote preschoolers’ successful transition to kindergarten with the fundamental knowledge and skills necessary for optimal reading development. The goals of RERF are to:

Provide 3- to 5-year-old children with high quality, literacy-rich learning environments in which they can develop skills needed for successful transition into kindergarten.

Provide ongoing professional development and mentoring for preschool teachers so that they can gain mastery of research-based theory and instruction.

Engage parents in training and consultation activities that help them gain knowledge and experience with early reading strategies they can use with their children at home.

Work with an external evaluator to conduct assessment and evaluation to identify children at risk for reading difficulties and to support literacy learning for all of the children in the program.

To meet the instructional needs of VCU Head Start children, RERF will provide funds to extend the school day to 6.5 hours and to provide a full-day, 8-week summer program for three-year old children. RERF also plans to offer full-day instruction throughout the summer for four-year-old children with a special, elementary school-based four-week session for children transitioning to Kindergarten. RERF will provide intensive professional development through Early Reading Institutes; mentor demonstrations, observations and feedback; and collaborative teacher groups. Measure for evaluating the success of the project include the Early Language and Literacy Classroom Observation (ELLCO), the Get It! Got It! Go!, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-III, and the Test of Early Reading Ability (TERA-3). Christopher Chin, Ph.D., at Children’s Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, will serve as the project’s independent evaluator.

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WISCONSIN

Grantee: Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin SystemProject Name: Exemplary Model of Early Reading Growth and Excellence

(EMERGE Project)Project Director: Karen Stoiber (414) 229-6841; kstoiber@uwm.edu Funding: $2,418,555 for a three-year projectNumber of Teachers Served: 30 per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 300 per year

EMERGE Project is an intensive, multi-partnership effort to transform five pre-kindergarten centers in urban communities into exemplary, scientifically based early literacy programs. The partnership includes: Social Development Commission Head Start of Milwaukee; Head Start –Day Care Partner Program of Milwaukee; Next Generation Now Early Child Development and Family Resource Center of Racine; Cooperative Education Services Agency and the University of Wisconsin. The project will serve 300 children yearly, 90% from low-income families, and 30 teachers. The goals of the EMERGE Project are:

Develop and implement an instructional model that integrates the use of explicit, research-based early literacy practices into daily curricular activities.

Provide high-quality instructional strategies that support the development of language, cognitive and early literacy competence in young children (especially those from low-income, minority families) and facilitate their successful transition to kindergarten.

Create high-quality, literacy-rich environments that support the development of young children’s literacy and cognitive competence, including family involvement and enhancement of literacy practices at home.

Provide intensive and continuous professional development and mentoring grounded in scientifically based knowledge of language and early reading development.

Services, instructional materials, and activities, including explicit and contextualized instruction, will be facilitated with a curriculum that focuses on cognitive, language and literacy development along with integrating research-based practices that focus explicitly on the development of early literacy skills that are known to predict future reading achievement. Professional development will include teacher training and development, provided by external, certified trainers and teacher capacity-building activities. EMERGE will incorporate seven training dimensions which will include a 3-day intensive training institute and a series of training sessions and a visit by a certified literacy coach on a bi-weekly basis. Screening reading assessments will include the use of the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening, Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS), Teacher Rating of Oral Language and Literacy (TROLL) and the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test III. The EMERGE Project includes an evaluation plan that will be carried out by Philip Smith, Ph.D., professor and Chair of Educational Psychology at UW-Milwaukee.

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WISCONSIN

Grantee: School District of JanesvilleProject Name: Janesville Early Literacy ProjectProject Director: Ann Lund (608) 743-7303, alund@janesville.k12.wi.usFunding: $1,577,603 for a three-year project periodNumber of Teachers Served: 21 teachers and staff per yearNumber of School Districts Served: 1Number of Students Served: 235 per year

The Janesville Early Literacy Project is a partnership of the Janesville School District, Head Start, Even Start, and Janesville Community Day Care Center. The project will serve 235 children, ages three to five, and provide professional development to 18 teachers and three parent liaisons. The Janesville Early Literacy Project has four goals:

Increase children’s oral language, phonological awareness, print awareness, and alphabet knowledge to level that ensure success in kindergarten and beyond.

Expand language- and literacy-related learning opportunities through increase language and literacy choices within the classroom environment.

Increase the knowledge of teachers and staff regarding scientifically based reading research, curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

Increase systematic and explicit instruction through activities that develop oral language, phonological awareness, print awareness, and alphabet knowledge.

The Janesville Early Literacy Project will implement Scholastic’s Building Language for Literacy (BLL). Mid-Continent Educational Laboratory will provide professional development that will support teachers in using explicit, intentional, and scaffolded instruction based on scientifically based reading research. In addition to the workshops, the Janesville Early Literacy Project will provide teachers with literacy coaches to provide support on a weekly basis. The Get Ready to Read, the Expressive One Word Picture Vocabulary Test and the Receptive One Word Picture Vocabulary Test will be used to screen children at the beginning of the year. The project will use the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening-PreK (PALS-PreK) and BLL assessments to monitor progress through the curriculum. Dr. Gwendolyn Coe, University of Wisconsin, Platteville, will conduct program evaluation.

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